In many motion and control systems the controlled process generally consists of: an actuator, a control loop (e.g. software) and feedback information (sensors). Failures in one of these components normally lead to unacceptable performance of the system. In many cases though, the failure itself is not that critical, it is the combination with the control loop or the feedback elements that might lead to an unstable system or unacceptable system performance. By detecting the failure and subsequently adaptation of the control loop in the process, the performance might be adjusted to a level that is still within acceptable limits. The detecting of failure as well as the adjustment of the control loop is defined as 'Fault Tolerant Control'.

The goal of fault-tolerant control is to prevent those simple faults in a system or its sensors and actuators develop into serious failures. Fault-tolerant control increases the availability of the system and reduces the risk of safety hazards. To achieve fault-tolerant control, intelligent methods needed to be developed for on-line fault detection and diagnosis, automatic condition assessment and calculation of remedial actions or controller reconfiguration.

In this research topic the focus will be on novel fault-tolerant control methods and to apply and test them on the drive-by-wire systems of SKF.